PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
The works of the Rev. John Wesley, Vol. 01 (of 32)
Wesley, John, 1703-1791 · 86,997 words · 130 reading sections
THE MEANS OF GRACE.
MALACHI iii. 7. _Ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them._ I. 1. BUT are there any _ordinances_ now, since life and immortality were brought to light by the gospel? Are there under the Christian dispensation, any _means_ ordained of God, as the usual channels of his grace? This question could ne…
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6. And experience shews, how easily this notion spreads, and insinuates itself into the minds of men: especially of those who are throughly awakened out of the sleep of death, and begin to feel the weight of their sins, a burthen too heavy to be borne. These are usually impatient of their present state, and trying ever…
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5. Yet once more. We allow (though it is a melancholy truth) that a large proportion of those who are called Christians, do to this day abuse the means of grace, to the destruction of their souls. This is doubtless the case with all those who rest content, in the form of godliness without the power. Either they fondly …
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3. The absolute necessity of using this means if we would receive any gift from God, yet farther appears from that remarkable passage which immediately precedes these words: _And he said unto them_ (whom he had just been teaching, how to pray) _which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and sh…
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It is probable, indeed, that in some of those who had _received the word with all readiness of mind, faith came_ (as the same apostle speaks) _by hearing_, and was only confirmed by _reading_ the scriptures. But it was observed above, that under the general term of _searching the scriptures_, both hearing, reading, and…
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12. And that this is also an ordinary stated means of receiving the grace of God, is evident from those words of the apostle, which occur in the preceding chapter? _The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion_, or communication, _of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion …
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4. “But does not the scripture (it has been objected, fourthly) direct us to _wait_ for salvation? Does not _David_ say, _My soul waiteth upon God: for of him cometh my salvation_? And does not _Isaiah_ teach us the same thing, saying, _O Lord, we have waited for thee_?” All this cannot be denied. Seeing it is the gift…
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With regard to the former, we may observe, there is a kind of order, wherein God himself is generally pleased, to use these means, in bringing a sinner to salvation. A stupid, senseless wretch is going on in his own way, not having God in all his thoughts, when God comes upon him unawares, perhaps by an awakening sermo…
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4. As to the _manner_ of using them, whereon indeed it wholly depends, whether they should convey any grace at all to the user, it behoves us, first, always to retain a lively sense, that God is above all means. Have a care therefore of limiting the Almighty. He doth whatsoever and whensoever it pleaseth him. He can co…
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48 – Matt. xii. 36, 37. 49 – Ezek. xviii. 21, 22. 50 – Jer. xxxi. 34. 51 – Heb. viii. 12. 52 – Matt. x. 26. 53 – Rev. xx. 11. 54 – 2 Pet. iii. 12. 55 – Ibid. v. 10. 56 – Chap. iv. 6. 57 – v. 13. 58 – c. lxv. 17. 59 – Rev. ♦xxi. 1. 60 – v. 3. 61 – v. 4. 62 – c. xxii. 3, 4. Transcriber’s Notes. The follow…
407 wordsSource & rights
Public domain in the USA; original historical text digitized by Project Gutenberg.
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Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.